trouble clef
by PoetryRebel
Summary: When Ally gets accepted into Clef Records, Austin is less than thrilled, even though it's right there in Miami. When her boss goes too far, what will it mean for Ally, and more importantly, can Austin save her? / auslly, multichap, rated T for suggestive themes. I suck at summaries, please give it a chance, I guarantee story's better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm not dead, yaaay. School and my ever-crashing relationship is taking the crap outta me. Thanks for all my lovely followers & reviewers for not giving up on me. (:**

**Prompt: "_Because, in truth, he knew she was destined for bigger things. Things much greater than being Austin Moon's songwriter." _When Ally gets accepted into the biggest music company in America, Austin is less than thrilled, even though it's right there in Miami. But things at Clef Records aren't always so happy, and a certain boss has his eye on Ally. Can Austin protect her?**

**Notes: This will be an angsty kinda story in later chapters. It will not, however, be total angst. And Austin & Ally are around 20 in this fic. Also, "Trouble Clef" is a stupid little pun I came up with. Because, Treble Clef, and Trouble, and yeah...just read the story now.**

* * *

He's not surprised when Trish hands Ally the envelope from her new job at the post office. It's addressed from Clef Records, the biggest music company there is. He's definitely not surprised when they've offered her a full job as a music composer and a lyricist. Because, in truth, he knew she was destined for bigger things. Things much greater than being a songwriter for a pop star. Her eyes bulged out reading the letter, smiling largely. He smiled too, but it was more of a sad smile. She couldn't pass up another great opportunity - who knows how many of these will come around - and he _was_ Austin Moon. They had been doing this for three years. He had four albums, an upcoming world tour scheduled, and millions of fans and employees at Starr Records. If he really needed to, he could hire a whole team of songwriters. Not that any of them would be half as good, but he could if he really wanted to.

"Are you gonna take it?" Trish asked.

"I don't think so," Ally said, putting the letter back in the envelope. "I already have a job."

Trish shook her head. "But Ally! This is the biggest company in the country! This is a HUGE deal! Think of all the celebrities you'll get to meet! Maybe even Selena Gomez!"

Austin snickered. Ally despised Selena Gomez, and he knew it, too. It was funny how Trish was not only wanting her to go, but encouraging her. Maybe she didn't realize this meant Ally would be leaving Team Austin. Or maybe, she just wasn't as self-concerned as Austin.

"I know, but I have everything I could ever want in Team Austin. I mean, Austin just hit #1 on the Billboard Charts! We're triple platinum!" she said.

Trish shook her head. "I know, and we're so proud of you and Austin, but this is a big opportunity! You can't keep giving up your chances for us!"

Austin winced at the sound of his name. It's not like he had asked her to give up her opportunities. MUNY, Fearless Records, Harper's Branch. She had done it with no second thought, but this was different. Clef Records was a _huge_ deal, and he could see the hesitation in her eyes from the start when she put it down. She did want to go, she just couldn't will herself to do it.

"You guys seriously wouldn't care?" she asked, glancing more towards Austin than Dez or Trish.

"Of course we'd care," Austin cut in, propping himself against the wall, "but we're not asking you to give this up. This is, as Trish said, an amazing chance, and we'll miss you, but if you wanna go, you should go."

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" she said, jumping into Austin's arms for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, but she pulled away quickly before giving the same hug to Dez and Trish. It was far too short for his taste.

"Thanks, you guys. I promise, this won't change anything," she said, before pulling out her cell phone to call the head manager.

Austin bit his lip. It wasn't going to change anything, it was going to change everything.

* * *

Her first day of work she was sat in the board room among eight other songwriters and composers. Ally felt slightly nervous, and she almost grabbed for her hair. Almost. _This is a professional place,_ she told herself. _No hair-chewing allowed._

A particularly sturdy man walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He looked to be around thirty years old, and every detail about him looked like business. He was practically born for this job.

"Good morning," he said, setting his briefcase under the table by his chair. A follow-up greeting was chorused by the surrounding members in the board room, causing Ally to flush at her sudden silence. The man chuckled.

"This is our newest composer. Ally, would you please stand?" he said, voice booming and so authoritative. It almost intimidated her. She rose from her chair, awkwardly walking over to the man. She gave a nervous laugh before looking at the people staring at her. They gave a slight applause, using tired smiles and cupped, poised hands.

"Mr. Smith," he said, extending a hand.

She diligently shook his hand, and he ignored the grip she had. "Miss Dawson is a new addition to our team, but I assure you she is one of the best in the business."

A large smile crossed her face, and she exhaled in relief. Mr. Smith took a seat and she took that as her cue to sit, pulling the swivel chair out from under the long desk.

"Now, onto the matter at hands," Mr. Smith said, and Ally pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She could get used to this. It was incredibly lush, the people seemed nice, and the pay was well beyond excellent. Still, her thoughts kept drifting to a certain blonde-haired singer.

"And your proposal on this, Miss Dawson?" Mr. Smith questioned, and Ally shook her head. She must've zoned out. Glancing at the board, she found the topic and quickly stammered something out.

"If you market out too many albums at one time, it will be random and people will be less likely to buy. If you use a pattern, let's say, one every two years, people not only know when the album will come out, and can save up to buy the album, increasing profit sales," she said, not even taking a breath. She was talking so fast she was sure it was inaudible, but Mr. Smith gave an amused grin.

"Very impressive, Miss Dawson. I'm surprised you're here for composition and not profit," Mr. Smith boomed, checking his watch.

To be honest, she had no idea where that speech had come from. It just bounced from the back of her head, and before she could stop herself, she was saying it.

"You're all dismissed. The next meeting is Thursday. Have a lovely evening," Mr. Smith said rather quickly, shutting the door. Ally threw her bag over her shoulder and set to head out, before attempting to head out. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around.

It was a rather short girl, probably around Ally's age.

"Hey, you're Ally, right? I'm Jo, the other head songwriter here," she said, re-adjusting her own bag.

"Yeah, nice to meet you. I love your glasses, where'd you get them?" Ally asked. She had on glasses, fake of course, with purple rims and a little bow on the edge of the left lens.

"Thanks, at Claire's Counter. Hey, do you wanna maybe grab lunch sometimes?" she said, rather shy.

Ally smiled. "Sure."

Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad without Austin after all.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why are you so desperate to hire new song writers? Ally said she'd still write songs for us," Austin said, while walking around Starr Records.

"Because, Austin. She has a life now, we can't keep pestering her," Trish muttered.

Clearly, she didn't know anything. About how Ally loved to write songs, and how she loved to write songs for people to perform because it gave her a tinge of pride. Ally had actually already sent them three songs, but Trish hadn't heard them.

"You're not pestering me," Ally said, coming into the entrance.

Austin grinned and gave her a short side hug. "No work today?"

She shook her head. "I got the day off. You act like it's been forever since we've seen each other."

"It has been!" Dez whined.

"It's been two days, Dez. She's been at Clef for two weeks," Trish cut in, rolling her eyes.

"So how is it?" Austin asked, pulling out a chair for her to sit in.

"It's fun. I even made a friend," she said, writing in her memo pad. "And I got this cool little pad thingy to jot down lyrics on, isn't that cool?"

Austin laughed at her dorkyness. It was cute. "Wait, you made new friends already?"

"Just one. You know I couldn't replace you guys, it'd be impossible," Ally said. She wrote something down into her pad.

"Hey, do you think these pants make my ham look big?" Dez said, holding up a ham. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it'd be pretty hard to find someone like him, anyway," Ally said. Austin chuckled, looking at her pad.

"Uh, Ally, what are you doing?" he said. On the pad, there was a bunch of scribbles. Literal scribbles, just all over the page.

"I just like writing in it. It feels so cool!" Ally said, grinning with excitement.

"Weird use of the word cool, but okay," Trish said from behind the counter.

Ally gave her a smug grin before flipping the pages in her pad. Not all of them were scribbles. There were actually some pretty decent lyrics in here, but they were all incomplete. She made a mental note to try to finish them later. Realizing she still had the pad, she flipped the paper over and wrote it down there. Done. Feeling content with herself, she stood up, slinging the bag back over her shoulder. Austin grabbed at her hand.

"You're going? You just got here. I thought we still had the pancake lunch thing going on!" Austin whined, pouting.

She grinned. "I'm just going to put this back at the office," she said, pulling a manila envelope out of her bag. Trish laughed as Ally made her way out.

"Dude, could you be any more obvious?"

He wrinkled his brow in confusion. "About what?"

"That you like her!" Trish said.

Austin scoffed. "Psh, whaaaat?"

"Even I got that, Austin," Dez replied.

"You guys don't know what you're talking about," he said, shaking his head.

"Mmhm," Trish said. "Just remember, I bet there's someone out there that's gonna sweep her off her feet at that school if you don't hike up your shorts and make a move."

* * *

She crept around her office quietly, trying to slip the envelope into the box with the lights off.

She felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.

_Aaah!_

So much for quiet. She spun around to find Jo, resisting the urge to laugh.

"We have gotta stop meeting like this," Jo said, still suppressing her giggles.

Ally nodded, biting her lip to hide hers as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. Did you still wanna grab that lunch?" Jo asked.

Ally looked around nervously. "Well..I kind of had plans."

"Oh, okay," Jo said, turning around to leave.

"No, no, no! You can come with! It's just me and my friend Austin!"

"Okay, but I'm buying."

The lunch was pretty much eventless, aside from Jo nearly having a heart attack when she realized Austin was _the_ Austin Moon. Austin, who had devoured nearly three stacks of pancakes already, kept asking them questions about Clef Records.

"Is it safe?" Austin asked, on his fifth stack.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Of course it's safe, Austin."

"Yeah, as long as you ignore the rumors," Jo said.

"What rumors?" Ally said, a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, what rumors?" Austin said, mouth full of syrup and pancakes.

"Last year there were two incident reports about girls getting harassed at Clef. Both cases were dropped, though. People play jokes like that all the time, but it doesn't stop the media from assuming it," Jo said, sipping at her coffee.

Austin immediately stopped eating. "Girls getting…harassed? Like, by other girls?"

"I wish. I think one of the incident reports I read up on was a girl by the board director Mr. Smith. But like I said Aus, they're probably just rumors," Jo said.

"Exactly, we can't jump to conclusions. And plus, Mr. Smith seems like a really nice guy," Ally said.

Austin hunched an eyebrow. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ally said. "I'll be careful."

And with that, Austin went back to engulfing his pancakes in syrup and swallowing them whole. Ally rolled her eyes.

"Isn't that too many pancakes?"

Austin gasped. "There's no such thing as _too many pancakes!"_

"Whatever you say."

* * *

"Progress Report, Mr. Smith? How is the new girl I recruited doing?"

"Very well, actually. She's most bright, and beautiful."

"Do you have the new music finished?"

"I do."

"Good Job, Smith. I hope you'll keep her on your team."

"I'm determined to do so, sir."

"Don't let this one slip away like the other two, Smith. What ever happened to them?"

"They were uncooperative. This one is different."

"Okay. I'm leaving her in your hands, understand?"

"My hands."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I love reviewers. ****J**** They brighten up my day.**

**Notes: Before reading Ally's part, think about how happy and hyper she is all the time, and how she always reacts to when Austin likes her stuff. "Yay!" and such. Also, I have no idea if she still has a tweeter, but the tweets will come in handy at a later part of the story. So just deal with the slight immaturity for now. (:**

* * *

"Dawson, how's my new song coming?"

Ally looked up from her pad to find Mr. Smith standing right in front of her desk, tapping his fingers along the wooden finish. She slid her pad in the corner and grabbed a document, handing it to him, smile beaming.

"I think you'll like this one," she said.

"If it's from you, probably," he said, and walked back down the corridor that led to his office. She slid back in her chair, sighing. After checking to make sure no one was watching, she spun in her swivel chair. Putting her hands up, she spun around until she got completely dizzy.

"This is so awesome!" she said, stopping her chair with her desk. Four weeks in, and she's already the head of her department and she has her own office. With a spinning chair.

Her cell phone interrupts her train of thought, and she grabbed it and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she answered, putting the phone between her ear and her shoulder. She grabbed a few documents along with it.

"Hey, Als," came the cheery voice from the other line.

"Austin, what's up?" she asked, trying to grab the document from the file.

"I was wondering if you wanted to head over to Starr Records for Chinese with Dez and Trish later," he said.

"Sure. Six o'clock sound good?"

"Perfect."

She was going to say something else, but she heard Dez's voice in the background and the click of the dial tone. Setting the phone down and taking out the document, she read over the lyrics produced by Jo.

They were actually pretty good lyrics, they just had no music. That was her job. She tucked away the document in the folder again. They were due next Friday, if she wanted to, she could finish it in about an hour. If she wanted to meet Team Austin for Chinese, she'd have to do the music tomorrow.

Ally walked into Mr. Smith's office, knocking lightly on the rim of the door. He looked up from the computer, signaling her to come in.

"I reviewed those documents you gave me. Can I take the rest of the night off?" she asked, biting on her lip nervously.

"Of course," he said, and went back to typing at his computer. She walked out of the room and pulled up her Tweeter.

_Just got off work early. Mr. Smith is the best boss ever!_ she tweeted, before pressing send. Grabbing her jacket, she walked out into the street.

"I'm telling you, if you put a marshmallow in a fish tank, it will learn how to swim!" Dez said, and Trish gave him a weird look.

"Do those freckles impair your brain?" Trish asked, tossing a lo mien noodle at Dez.

"Hey! Leave my freckles alone!"

Austin laughed, before catching sight of Ally at the door. He motioned her over and she took a seat in the beanbag chair beside Austin.

"How was work?" Trish asked, attempting to scoop noodles up with chop sticks. Ally grabbed the sesame chicken and a fork.

"It was amazing. I have my own office and everything!" Ally said, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth.

"I wish I had my own office," Dez said.

"What do you need an office for?" Trish asked.

Dez thought for a minute, before shrugging. Trish threw her chop sticks at him and grabbed a fork in defeat.

Austin smirked at his friends. His attention turned to Ally.

"I thought you had work til eight, Als?"

"I asked Mr. Smith for the night off, and he said okay," she said.

"Oh, you mean the harasser?" Austin said, hunching an eyebrow.

"He's not a harasser! He's really nice. You'd like him if you would get to know him," Ally retorted.

"I'll pass," Austin said. "All I'm saying is you need to watch your back."

"Consider it watched," Ally said. "I can take care of myself."

"We know," Austin muttered.

She sighed and set her container down. For the first time since she joined Clef, she started to wonder if she had made the right choice. She was barely a part of Team Austin anymore, if you could even call her a part.

She sat on the piano bench with Austin, trying to make sense of their new song.

"What about…this?" Austin said, playing a melody on the piano.

"It's good, but there's no emotion. Mr. Smith says you have to put actual emotion into your piece, or it won't be relatable."

She played a chord progression, adding a mixture of elements to the piece. It actually sounded pretty good.

"Wow, that sounds pretty good. It may be your best work, Als," he said, repeating the same piece.

She smiled. "Mr. Smith said every piece of work should be your best work."

He rolled his eyes. "Does he also say you should be yourself and not copy Mr. Smith?"

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "No."

"He should," Austin said.

Ally grimaced and played a foul note on the piano.

"That's definitely not your best work," Austin retorted sarcastically.

"Yeah, I'm tired. Why don't you give it a shot?" Ally muttered.

Austin started playing the same progression Ally had played earlier on the piano, only adding certain measures and lyrics.

_Don't tell me I'm crazy_

_If I'm still hung up on you_

_Don't tell me if I've lost it_

_That's what you make me do_

He looked over his shoulder to find her fast asleep, lightly leaning on his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her back, another arm under her legs. She was unsurprisingly light, and she seemed to re-adjust to her new position by nuzzling into his chest. Austin smiled and sat her down on the couch in Starr Records. He wrapped his jacket around her, and laid down on the other end of the couch.

Clef Records was the _last_ thing on their minds as they slept.


	4. Chapter 4

Ally woke up, rubbing her eyes. She sat up and looked around. They were on the couch at Starr Records.

Wait, they?!

She was leaning on Austin's chest. She quickly got up to avoid embarrassment, then tripped over the amp. Austin looked up, then stretched. "Morning, sleeping beauty."

"Morning. What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "Eleven."

Silently screaming, she grabbed her coat and brushed her hair with her hands, knocking an amp and a guitar over in her rush.

"Woah, is it Rush Hour?" Austin asked, yawning.

"I'm late for work!"

She came into work close to two hours late and no one noticed. She sighed in relief and set her stuff down.

She opened up the files on her desk, proofreading the songs. She was actually concentrating really well until two lawyers walked inside her office, stirring her.

"Yes?" she answered, pushing aside the documents.

"Are you aware of where Greyson Smith's office is?" one of them asked. He was in an all black uniform, aside from a green striped tie.

"Down the hall, second door on the left. Why?" she asked.

She didn't get an answer. They just shut the door and walked down to Mr. Smith's office. She peered her head out her transparent walls, but they shut the door and closed the blinds. She sighed and pushed her documents further away. Like she could concentrate on them now.

Closing her own blinds and double-checking the door, she pulled up Internet Explorer on her computer and looked up "Greyson Smith".

_Greyson Smith Statutory Rape Charge_

_Clef Records Owner Sued For Sexual Assault_

_2 Million Dollar Lawsuit for Smith, Greyson_

_Young Teen Harassed At Clef Records Studio_

_Inconductry Behavior To A Minor? Clef Records Scandal_

She scrolled through the reports, reading each and every name. She really doubted that any of this was true, but for some reason, she couldn't stop reading. She heard the click of her doorknob and she shut the monitor off, throwing things off her desk in the process. What was with her and knocking things over today?

Jo came in through door, and she felt her heart start beating again.

"What's got you so frisky, Ally? I just wanted to see if you had finished my song," Jo said, taking a seat on a clean area of Ally's desk. Ally shook her head.

"Nothing. I did, actually," she said, handing her the document. Jo grabbed it, and went to head out. She stopped at the door.

"Did you see those two lawyers?"

Ally nodded. "They came in asking for Mr. Smith."

"What do you think it's about?" Jo asked, putting her hand on the door.

"I don't know. Maybe a new client?" Ally said.

"But where's the client? And would they really need lawyers?"

Ally shrugged. "I don't know. It's driving me insane, though."

"Same here. Text me if you get anything new?" Jo said. Ally nodded, and Jo shut the door. She was tempted to pull up more search results, but wasn't going to take the risk of getting caught.

If she only knew the truth.

She sighed, going back to proof-reading. Even if she couldn't concentrate, she might as well pretend. She came across another of Jo's songs. It was pretty, but sad. She was almost jealous of her work. She came across another song. Horribly written, terrible form. It was almost as if Austin wrote it.

The lawyers left the building, creeping out demurely. Her curiosity grew but she reminded herself to be professional. This was the best shot she had at a good job, she wasn't going to lose it over a bunch of clowns in sharp suits. She sighed and threw the folder on her desk again. There was something going on here, and she was determined to figure it out.

* * *

It was late. Everyone in the building had probably either gone home or fell asleep. She threw her bag over her shoulder, readying her things to leave. Mr. Smith walked in, sticking his head through her door.

"Dawson, would you mind staying late to help me out on some files?"

She hesitated, before realizing she had no where else to go. "Of course not."

They walked back to his office, before she looked at all the files he had laid out on his desk. "Oh my unlimited texting.."

He grinned. "Aren't you lucky you don't have my job?"

She nodded, before taking a seat. "What is all this stuff?"

"Documents I have to approve, new songs, new music, a whole blob of stuff," he said, straightening out his suit before taking a seat.

A reassuring thought popped into her head. Maybe the lawyers were dropping off these - and if these documents were bad, he wouldn't be asking her to help. Right?

"Where do I start?" Ally said, looking at all the documents.

"Anywhere. Just grab one," he said, grabbing at a pile.

She picked up a few, not able to concentrate on any of them. She was so tempted to ask him questions, but she wouldn't for the sake of her job.

They had finished about 3 fourths of the work and she looked at her watch. It was already midnight.

"You know, you're the youngest team leader here," Mr. Smith said, trying desperately to strike conversation.

"Really?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah. One of the smartest, brightest people we have at Clef."

She laughed a little bit and put one of the files on the "complete" pile.

"You think so?"

"Of course," Mr. Smith said, rolling his tongue. She smiled thankfully and went back to doing her work.

He grinned at her and eyed her carefully. Running his eyes everywhere. She looked up at him in confusion.

"You look tired. Why don't you take a nap and I'll wake you up later?"

She began to shake her head no, but he cut her off.

"I insist."

"Thanks," she said, and stood up.

He smiled at her.

Maybe she gave him the wrong impression. Maybe he took her smile and curtsey as a flirt. Maybe she was sending him mixed signals, but before she could even move, he kissed her on the lips.

She stumbled back against the door, staring in awe. She didn't know what to say.

"I…I have to go."

She fumbled with the door knob, desperately trying to get out. She ran through the corridors, out into the street. Straight into the headlights of a car.


	5. Chapter 5

She saw the headlights. But she felt like a deer, too paralyzed to move. Whether she was scared because of the kiss, or because of the threat of the oncoming car to hit her, she couldn't move. She felt a certain warm pair of hands grab her, throwing her back onto the sidewalk. Her eyes were squinted shut.

"Ally!"

Her eyes shot open as she recognized whose voice it was. Austin.

"Hey, Austin."

"What the pancakes, Ally?! I came over here because I was worried because you never came home, and then I find you playing hide and go with a car?"

"I didn't look before crossing, Austin, I'm sorry," she said, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She wiped her eyes. No, not here, not now, not ever.

He engulfed her in his arms, feeling her rest on his chest.

"It's okay, Als. Why were you at work so late?"

She couldn't tell him. She desperately wanted too, but she couldn't. This could've been her own fault, anyway. She could've sent him mixed signals.

"I was working on some songs. Can you just take me home?"

"My place or yours?"

"Either."

He walked her down the road to his shared condo with Dez, opening the door quietly so not to wake him.

A waste, to be honest, because Dez was up playing with the cheese in the kitchen. Of course, Austin didn't question it - it's better not to question things Dez does - and just went up to his room with Ally. Austin shut the door, and swiftly made his bed. She smiled weakly, gathering her stuff at the end of the bed.

"Night, Als. And if you feel like getting in front of anymore cars, at least wake me up first."

She giggled slightly and laid down beside him. "Okay. What about trains?"

* * *

Her muscles clenched as she walked into the double-door office building past the security guards. She _really, really_ didn't wanna be here. She slipped into her office quietly, closing the blinds, pinning herself against the door. Looking back one last time, she sunk down in her chair. So far, so good. She grabbed a file and opened it.

She threw it down again and put her face in her hands. This was stupid. She couldn't avoid her boss forever. She had to do the mature thing and talk to him! The door knob slowly turned and she ducked under her desk.

Or not. Hiding was totally mature, too.

"Miss Dawson?" came the voice. It was feminine. She relaxed slightly and sat up, running a hand through her hair.

"Yes?" she said, realizing the woman as one of Jo's assistants.

"Miss Evers would like to see you in her office."

Ally sighed. What would Jo do when she told her? Oh my gosh, what would Austin do? She couldn't think about that right now.

Ally slowly crept out of her office, almost running to Jo's office. She double-checked the name, just to make sure it wasn't Mr. Smith's office. _Jo Evers, Head Lyricist._

Well, definitely not Mr. Smith's office. She opened the door and quickly shut it.

"Ally, dear, we're really going to need to work on that frisky problem. What's up?" Jo said.

"Nothing. Why'd you want me?"

"Oh, you didn't respond to my calls or texts last night, and your friend Dez said he hadn't seen you. Then he offered me some cheese. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yup, fine, well gotta go bye!" Ally said, and grabbed for the door knob.

"Back it up, Als. What's wrong?" Jo whispered.

"Nothing, just nervous," Ally said, gritting her teeth.

"Liar."

"Whaaat? Does this look like someone who's lying?" Ally said, putting her hands on her hips and giving a nervous smile.

Jo folded her arms. "I'll buy it for now, Dawson."

Ally silently thanked Jo under her breath and ran out of the office. She didn't get very far, seeing she ran straight into Mr. Smith. She went to run again, but he grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk."

She struggled to get away, but he kept his grip and led her to his office. He slammed the door and she got as far away from him as she could.

"Look, about last night, it was an accident. A mistake. We were both tired," Mr. Smith said, drawing closer.

She tried to back up, but she hit the wall.

"I'm sorry, did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm just gonna…" she said, before he cut her off.

"You're so pretty. And pure." he said, getting even closer. Ally tried to dodge him, but he pinned her against the wall.

"Let me go," she said, breathing heavy between each word.

He stroked her hair. "You have pretty hair. Why don't you ever put it up?"

"Let, me, go!" she repeated, in almost a yell. He covered her mouth, shutting the blinds and pushing her against the couch. She tried to scream, but her mouth was completely covered. Before she knew it, he was completely on top of her, kissing down her neck and arms. She tried to push him off, but it was useless. His lips were on hers before she could do anything.

Ally wasn't sure when he had stopped. She heard the door knob click and a scream emit from the assistant, and when he leaned up, she kicked him with her heel and ran out of the building, cutting every corner and running through the doors. Without looking, she dashed across the street, trying to find somewhere to go. She didn't know where to go, she just knew she didn't want to be with _him._ She came to the only place she knew she could go.

"He-Ally?!" Austin said, opening his door. She was a mess. Her light make-up was streaming down her face.

"A-A-Au.."

She couldn't finish her sentence. She just choked out sobs.

He wrapped his arm around her, guiding her to the couch.

"Dez isn't here. He won't be. Ally, what happened?"

She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. She couldn't talk. He had silenced her.

She felt Austin trace a hand over her stomach. "There's a scratch mark here...your shirt is practically ripped to pieces…please, God don't tell me what I'm putting together completes the puzzle."

She cried again, bringing her knees to her chest.

"He… raped me."


	6. Chapter 6

"He did what? Who the hell is he?!" Austin shouted, getting up from the couch.

"Austin, I…" she started, but pulled her knees closer to her chest.

"Ally. Who?" he said, tone quieter, but serious.

"Smith.." she said, burying her face in his chest.

He wrapped his arms around her. "God, I'm gonna kill him."

She sobbed harder. "This is all my fault. I let him do this. I.."

"This is _not_ your fault, Ally. He took advantage of you," Austin said, stroking her hair. It usually calmed her down, but now it just reminded her of Mr. Smith. She pulled away. "Stop. Just, please, stop.."

He sighed. "Ally, I'm sorry. What can I do?"

"What…what am I going to do? I can't go back to work. I don't know..please help me," she said, falling back on the couch. She _never_ asked for his help.

"Okay. First thing tomorrow, you and I. We're going to the police station," he said.

"I can't, Austin," she said, into his shirt.

"Maybe you can't, but we can," Austin said. "Let's get you cleaned up."

She didn't argue. She just let him carry her up to his room.

God, did she look hideous. She wiped the runny eyeliner and mascara off her face. She had a purple bruise mark on her neck, and the feel of it sickened her. She felt dirty. Disgusting.

She had no idea where to go from here. She couldn't step foot in that building again. What about Jo? What about Dez and Trish? There were so many questions running through her head. How was she even going to explain this to her friends? To her dad? Oh, her dad. What would he think?

There were several scratch marks just above her stomach and on her thighs. She cringed, running her hand along them. They burned, as if someone was just taking a lighter and leaving the marks. She dabbed at them with medicine, feeling tears well up in her eyes. She blinked them back, realizing Austin was behind her. She saw him in the mirror, arms folded, pressed against the bath tub. She put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my god, Austin, what if I'm pregnant?"

He wrapped an arm around her, nestling his face into her shoulder. "Ally. One step at a time."

"I can't go one fucking step at a time! I don't know which step to go to!" she said, sinking down to the floor.

"Ally, you've got to calm down. You just said the f word and you're practically a saint. Just please, calm down."

"I can't calm down, Austin! I feel sick! I'm sick!"

"You are not sick - he is sick. I don't want you to say that. Got it?" he said, wiping her tears away with his thumb. She nodded, and he gently put a hand on her back, leading her to the bedroom. She couldn't sleep, even if she wanted to.

* * *

They had already been to the police station. The next step would be going to Clef Records. She walked in the double-doors, gripping onto Austin's hand like her life depended on it.

They had a federal officer with them. For protection, mostly. Also to do some explaining, because Ally certainly wouldn't do that. He knocked on Mr. Smith's door, handing him the papers and the licenses. His face turned from business to frustration, and the sight of Mr. Smith's face alone made Ally sick. The officer tipped his hat and left, leaving Mr. Smith alone with Austin & Ally. Greyson took a shot from his canteen and walked over to Ally.

"You think you're really smart because you're pressing charges. Like anyone's going to believe a little whore."

Austin grimaced. "She's not a whore, and I'd watch it if I were you."

"Is your boyfriend going to beat me up, Dawson? Isn't he jealous," Greyson said, taking another shot.

Austin was full on ready to lunge at him. He scowled and pushed Ally out the door, slamming it behind her. She could feel hot, salty tears streaming down her cheeks, but she didn't say anything. Neither of them said anything, because there was nothing left to be said. They walked out of the building, people staring at both of them. Ally nuzzled into his chest.

"Thank you," she said, wiping off her face.

He kissed her forehead. "We're going to get this guy. And if we don't, I am."

Usually she'd feel safe around Austin. He'd be here, and everything would be okay. Ally guessed that's what she thought would've happened when she came to his doorstep, but it wasn't. Nothing's okay. Everything is practically crashing down and she's sitting here letting it.

About a week later, she bought herself a pregnancy test. Just something to reassure herself, or send her spiraling out of control - either one. She was going to take it alone, privately, but Austin wouldn't let her. What they had settled on was him standing outside the bathroom door. She had taken it and walked outside the restroom.

"Are you sure you did it right?" Austin said.

"Austin, it's not that hard. You pee on a stick. And now we wait fifteen minutes."

He held up both hands as a gesture of defense.

Waiting was probably the most awkward thing she's ever done. Her and Austin kept glancing at each other when they weren't looking, then when one looked at the other, their eyes swiftly move to a random object in the room. When the timer dinged, she almost jumped out of her skin to check.

She looked at the stick, analyzing the results. Austin walked over, leaning over her shoulder.

"Well?"


	7. Chapter 7

Ally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's negative," she said, throwing the test in the trash. Austin smiled and threw his arms around her petite figure.

"See Als? Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

She nodded, not fully believing him. Any other time, any other occasion, she would've. She would've cried and woken up the next morning and be fine. Something inside of her told her this was different, and things would _never _be okay, no matter how much she wanted them to. Hoping that they would just seemed insane.

She took a seat on his couch, cringing as the fabric on it rubbed against the marks on her thighs. He sat down beside her.

"You want a pickle?" Austin asked. Pickles always made her happy.

She shook her head. She had work tomorrow. She had to step back into that building, look at his face, take orders from him. Just hearing the sound of his name made her slightly throw up in her mind. She couldn't get the vivid images of that night out of her head. He took advantage of her. And she let him. She should've seen the warning signs, should've noticed that he wasn't who he appeared to be. She was sore, everywhere, and it was all his fault. She wanted nothing more to do with him, but if she didn't want to be blackballed, she'd bear it.

"You're not actually thinking of going back there, are you?" Austin said, noticing how quiet she was.

"I have too. It's my job, and if I don't, I may never get a job like this again," Ally said, biting at her lip. She still felt disgusting. In the past two weeks, twelve showers, one bath, 10 changes of clothes, and she still felt disgusting. She wanted this feeling to leave her body, and more than anything, she wanted to forget. Forget the muffled screams, forget the pain, forget the fear, forget the headlights, forget everything. She couldn't, and she knew that, but the realization that she'd have to live with it for the rest of her life hurt her more than anything that had happened in the past two weeks.

He smiled as she grabbed one of the pickles on the tray and took a bite. _That's my Ally, _he thought.

She bit into it slowly, not finishing the pickle. He sighed.

"Ally, is it worth it?" Austin said. "Going back to work?"

She thought for a minute. "It better be."

* * *

Walking into the doors again was harder than she thought. She almost backed out, but the Guard saw her, and it'd be easier to explain why she was here then why she came in, backed out, and came back in. She sat her stuff down on her chair, closing her office blinds. She sighed and knelt back against the window.

She heard a faint knock at the door, then a familiar voice. _Jo._

"Come in," Ally said, standing up. Jo walked into the room and wrapped her arms around Ally, hugging her.

"Oh my god, Als, I'm so, so sorry," she whispered.

"How did you find out?" Ally said, tears stinging her eyes.

"Austin. Smith's been on edge for days. He's been drunk and giving out orders. God, Ally, can I help?" Jo said, voice barely audible.

Ally just shook her head and returned the hug. Jo pulled away and handed her a bunch of files.

"W-what are these?" she said, wiping her eyes.

"They're your work. I did them all. If anyone asks, you did them at home," Jo said.

She smiled. "Thank you."

Jo nodded and walked out the door. At least she had one friend at this place, even if there were a thousand monsters among her.

Her pager lit up for a board meeting, and she could already feel her heart clench. She walked down the corridor into the board room, taking her seat by Jo at the end of the table. The faintest tinge of vodka wafted onto her nose, and she looked up, realizing Greyson Smith had taken his seat at the head.

"Good morning," he said, and Ally stayed quiet. Jo lightly squeezed her hand under the table. Ally returned her gesture and gritted her teeth as Mr. Smith began to talk.

"As you all know, our new client will be coming soon - I expect our lyricists and composers to have the _best_ songs written for her if they want to keep their jobs."

Ally could feel her cheeks press against her teeth, as if she was biting them off. A thousand butterflies were jittering in her stomach, almost painfully so. Jo rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Something you'd like to share, Miss Evers?" Smith retorted, turning around and looking at her.

"Go to hell goes without saying, so not really."

A giggle and a bunch of gasps emitted from the rest of the staff, and Mr. Smith's mouth glared open in awe.

"Miss Evers, you are not without rules. Are you forgetting I'm your boss?"

"You have rules, too. Do you follow them? Not exactly," Jo said.

Greyson's face lit up, causing the rest of the team to laugh.

"You're under a three day suspension, starting today. Meeting adjourned!" he said, spinning around and slamming the door.

Jo stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Ally looked at her in disbelief.

"Why did you do that? You could've lost your job!" Ally said.

"I don't like being taken for a fool, Als. And I'd rather lose my job than have to listen to a monster," Jo said, sighing. "So I get three days without pay. To me, that's like a vacation. Please, don't let him get under your skin."

Ally nodded, but didn't believe it was possible. He was already under her skin, sinking himself in, ripping her apart with his fingernails. They walked out of the room together, before she was stopped by Smith. He spun her around, walking behind her. She didn't dare to move, she was as stiff as possible. He leaned into her neck, and she could feel the trace of vodka and his hot breath on her neck. She would've shuddered if she wasn't too scared to move.

"Watch it, Dawson," he growled, the noise ringing in her ears. She took a deep breath. _Don't let him get under your skin. Don't let him get under your skin. You're above him. _Her lips and throat were dry. She felt as if they would fall off at any minute, and when she opened her mouth, the words came out wryly and scraped.

"You're a monster."

He smiled and chuckled. It was a disgusting, satanic sound. Taking another shot with his canteen, he kissed her neck. Her eyes shot open and the painful memories of that night played back in her head like a movie. The dry, tingly feel of his lips seemed to burn onto her neck. He spoke directly into her ear.

"It's your word against mine."


	8. Chapter 8

The meeting with the lawyer. The first step to getting her life back. She had dressed in the best blazer and slacks she had, and despite her father's numerous requests, brought Austin along. Well, it wasn't so much as her bringing him along, as he telling he had to go. And that was more than fine with her. Save her _some_ awkwardness, hopefully. They sat in silence in her dad's car. Ally's eyes never diverted from the window, avoiding Austin's eyes at all costs. She hadn't told him about her encounter at work, and she didn't plan on doing so, but there was something about his brown eyes that made her want to spill her heart out, as if she was writing in her book.

The lawyer asked a lot of questions. He wanted full details - everything that happened that night. And, well, she couldn't do it. She started crying mid-explanation and buried her head in Austin's shoulder. She felt absolutely awful for making Austin explain. He traced large, warm circles over her back with his hand. She felt the first reassurance in days. The lawyer - whose name she learned was Steven - took out a stack of paperwork.

"Lester, if you would sign these papers, and have them mailed back to me, we can set a date for the trial. Of course, we'd have to know if your daughter is willing to testify."

A lump caught in Ally's throat as she lifted her head up. "Testify?"

Steven nodded. "It'll increase your chances of winning the case."

She would have to explain what happened. Every detail, every invasion, every feeling she had that night, in front of Steven, Austin, Trish, Dez, her father, a judge, jury members, and…._him._ If she couldn't even say it to a lawyer, how would she do it then?

"I….okay," she said, her throat suddenly becoming dry.

"Great. Call me if you need to, and Lester, have those papers filled out by Thursday?" Steven said, picking up his briefcase.

Lester nodded and exited the building, leaving her dad, Austin, and Ally to sit in silence.

"It'll be okay," Lester said, breaking the thick silence.

"I want to believe you," Ally said. She'd heard that so many times, she was starting to get sick of it. _It'll be okay._ No, it won't be okay. You don't know that. She put her head back in the crook of Austin's neck.

"Are you sure you'll be able to testify?" Austin asked. It sounded concerned, but in Ally's mind, it was sarcastic. She was _fine._ Why couldn't people understand that?

"Of course," she said, biting the inside of her gum. "I'm fine."

The second part was quieter and a little less confident. She was fine, really.

* * *

Jo was back at work. She was bustling around the break room, her dyed-blonde hair in pigtails. Ally couldn't help but giggle.

"Never pictured you as a pigtail kinda girl," Ally said, grabbing a cup of coffee. Jo smirked.

"My little sister did my hair this morning and I was too lazy to fix it. How did the lawyer meeting go?"

"He wants me to testify," Ally said, stirring her coffee.

"Oh Ally dear, I'm sorry. Are you going to?" Jo asked, sipping her orange juice.

"Yeah," Ally said.

"Why don't I testify? I'm a witness, and trust me, it's not like I haven't seen him looking up my skirts or anything. I could help," Jo said.

Ally looked up and smiled. "Really? You'd do that? Ohmygosh, thank you!"

Jo grinned. "Of course."

She stopped, and spit out her orange juice.

"What?" Ally asked, taking another sip of coffee.

Ally turned around to find a staggering Smith around the corner, arm on the doorway, canteen in hand. He took another sip and grinned.

"Ally. I'd _hic_ like you to meet _hic_ my friends," he said, with a Cheshire smile that make her sick to her stomach. Three tall guys with black suits walked in, and she recognized them as the lawyers from before.

Smith staggered over to Ally, his breath smelling of whisky. "Just like you to _hic_ know what you're up against."

She froze. She was screwed, and she knew it.

"You're going down, Dawson._"_


	9. Chapter 9

Ally walked up the steps of the courthouse, her hand in Austin's and Lester's, Jo trotting along not too far behind. She really wished she was anywhere but here right now.

"Remember, don't leave anything out. If they ask you questions, answer. They are going to press you and try to break you - don't listen. Tell the truth," Steven said as they got inside the building. She nodded, not being able to say anything else. Her heart was racing so fast she almost thought she was having a heart attack. Austin squeezed her hand again, before separating to sit in the bench behind her. She and Steven took their seats in the front, and she desperately tried to ignore the sickening grin on Smith's face. It was burned into her head.

The jury had already gathered, and pretty soon the judge had signaled for trial to begin. It started with Mr. Smith's lawyer.

"Thank you, your honor. Let me start by saying how absurd the prosecutor's accusations are. Not only does Greyson own a successful company, but he is married with four children. If these allegations were true, why would he want to commit such a heinous act that would jeopardize his marriage, job, and more importantly, his relationship with his children? I would like to draw the court's attention to this particular web page," the lawyer said, pulling out a screen of Ally's twitter. It had shown her tweets about him being "the best boss ever" and how much she idolized them. It made her sick just looking at them.

"Now, would this girl be posting such things, about a man who she claims raped and sexually assaulted her?"

Steven stood up. "Objection! Your honor, this was _BEFORE-"_

"Overruled. Continue, defense," the judge boomed.

"This girl was clearly obsessed with him. She idolized him. Clearly, she asked him for more, and when he would not oblige, she came up with a false charge," the lawyer continued. "The defense calls Greyson Smith to the stand."

She watched as he walked his way up, smiling. He winked at her, but it seemed no one else noticed.

"Mister Smith, what exactly happened that night?"

"Miss Dawson was absolutely obsessed with me. Sometimes, I humored her by letting her stay late to work with me, but that was all. She came on to me one night when we were working, and I turned her down. She got upset, threw my stuff off the desk, and ran out. I deny any allegations this girl is accusing me of."

"Did you in any way purposely send her mixed signals or wrong impressions?"

"Of course not. This girl was hopelessly lost when she got here - I just wanted to help her out. She couldn't even make friends. I guess she mistook my grace for flirtation."

His lawyer pulled up a screen, showing the court a picture of Smith's wife and kids.

"Do you really think he would give up this over a silly, teenage girl?"

"I love my wife, and my kids. I would _never_ do anything this ridiculous," Smith said, voice traced with mock-sincerity.

"Very well. I rest my case, your honor," the lawyer said, taking his seat.

"The prosecution may call their first witness," the judge said.

Steven stood up, walking towards the judge.

"Thank you, your honor. The prosecution calls Jo Evers to the stand."

Ally watched as Jo made her way up, taking a seat. She couldn't believe she'd soon be in the same place.

"Miss Evers, how do you know the defendant?"

"He's my boss."

"Would you ever say he's scandalous?"

"I would. He's _always_ looking up other young girl's skirts, including mine. It's a surprise he hasn't been fired yet."

"Is it likely for him to do something like this?"

"At first, I didn't think so. But he had been drinking a lot more often, and I'm more than willing to guarantee he did so."

"No more further questions. The prosecution calls Ally Dawson to the stand."

She couldn't feel her legs. They were moving, but she couldn't feel them.

"Miss Dawson, how would you describe Mr. Smith?"

"Sick. Disgusting."

"Did you ever make any sexual advances towards Mr. Smith?"

"Of course not!"

"What exactly happened that night?"

"I was at work late. He had kissed me the night before and I ran out..I tried to run away from him, and he gripped my arm. He cornered me into the wall, and started stroking my hair. I told him to let me go, and I tried to scream, and…and he covered my mouth, and he pushed me onto the couch, and…"

Ally broke down in tears. She wiped them away with her eyes.

"And I told him to stop. He kept kissing me. Everywhere. He ripped through my shirt, my skirt, and.."

She couldn't do it. She couldn't continue, no matter how much she needed to.

Steven cleared his throat and spoke up. "No further questions, your honor."

"The defense would like to point out the prosecutor can not even admit to her allegations, Your Honor," his lawyer piped up.

"Objection, your honor, my client is severely distraught!"

They were spewing objections back and forth, rocking in her head. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Then he pushed me on the couch, and he raped me! I tried to push him off, and he pushed me down again! Are there any further questions?" she screamed.

The courthouse went totally silent, except for the clicks of Smith's lawyers' briefcase shutting.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The juror stood up. "Yes, your honor. We find the defendant…not guilty."

Austin groaned, and Lester sighed. Ally grimaced, mouth open in shock. She felt a tear stream down her cheek.

"Court dismissed."


	10. Chapter 10

"_We find the defendant not guilty."_

"_Not guilty."_

The words echoed in her head. He was getting away scott-free. There was nothing she could do. There was nothing anybody could do. She felt a hand on her back, and when she turned around, it was Smith. A sleazy, perverted grin that sent chills down her spine. She wanted to cry and hide, to block herself from the world, but she couldn't do that. No tears would come.

She felt Austin wrap his arms around her, and her dad set a hand on her shoulder. Steven packed up his paperwork in his briefcase, walking over to the family. He seemed distressed. She doesn't know why, because he really only did this for the money. Jo followed him, pushing her hair behind her ears.

Jo sighed and slammed her fist on the table. "I wanted this pedo to rot in jail."

"I tried the best I could. He has really expensive lawyers," Steven said. "I'm sorry."

It was quiet, and Austin tried to notion Ally to leave, but she gritted her teeth and stayed seated.

"Like he said, it's my word against his. He's Greyson Smith, he could buy out my life. I'm just some dumb, idiot slut he made his mark on."

"No, you're not. We are going to make sure he pays for this," Austin said under his breath.

"If we acquire new evidence, we could push for a new trial," Steven said.

Ally bit her lip. "What new evidence? I have no proof. He won. Can we just go?"

She stood up and marched out the court. Austin gave a sympathetic sigh and chased after her.

"Ally, wait," he called, but she kept running. Eventually, he caught up to her and grabbed onto her hand.

"Ally, we'll get this guy. It'll just take some time," Austin said through his teeth.

"Austin, don't you get it? This was it. It's over, I lost," Ally said, tears streaming down her face. It was true. He had the best lawyers money could buy, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if he had bribed the jury. She sank down against the courthouse wall, pressing her knees to her chest. Austin sat down beside her, pulling her closer to him. She cried. Cried harder than any other time these past weeks. He did this to her, he did this to two other innocent girls, and he's getting away with it. She muffled herself into Austin's shirt, and he wrapped the edge of his jacket around her.

"I hate him," she said, face buried into Austin's shirt. He was warm. She almost smiled at the fact that he was still here, and that he hadn't left her. Almost, because really, how long would that last? She was pathetic. Another cold case to be televised forty years later.

"We all do, Ally. That's why even if this trial was a bust, we're still not going to give up, even if it means I have to beat him up myself," Austin said.

She gave a slight giggle at this, and he gaped at her.

"What? You don't think I could do it?" Austin said, in astonishment.

"You seem like too nice of a guy to do that," Ally replied.

"It would surprise you the things I'd do for you," he said into her hair, running a hand through it.

"What'd you say?" Ally asked quietly.

"Nothing," he murmured.

* * *

She wanted to walk to work alone. Unfortunately for her, Austin wouldn't let her. He had to walk into the building with her until she sat in her office. Then, and only then, would he leave her alone. It was a silent walk, but not awkward. The comfortable type of silence. As Ally showed the guard her ID and they walked in, Austin gripped her hand.

"You're still coming to Starr Records, right? I have a surprise for you," Austin said.

She stopped in her tracks. "Oh god, what fresh nightmare is this?"

He laughed. "It's not bad."

He kissed her forehead and took off, passing the guard on the exit. She rolled her eyes and set her stuff down. If she came and the place was destroyed, it was all on him.

She was in the board room close to ten minutes before anyone else, but that was fine. It gave her time to clear out her head and think. And to decide if this job was really worth everything. Her thoughts were interrupted because a certain short blonde came in and sat beside her, seeming to drag in the rest of the team, including Mr. Smith. He gave her a heinous grin and winked. She breathed out, gripping onto the rail of the chair.

"Morning. Progress report, composers?" he said, drawing out the last word.

Her lips felt dry and they wouldn't open. Jo opened her mouth.

"Eight new songs finished with both music and lyrics. Go move onto your next victim," she said, smacking her lips.

He scowled at Jo, turning to the video producers and rambling on about "budget cuts". Ally rolled her eyes. He was drunk. That was blatantly obvious. The meeting was dismissed and she was the last to leave, struggling to fasten her tote bag strap. She got up last, and before she left, he locked the door. Crap.

"You thought you could take me down? Funny," he said, and pushed her back against the wall.

"You're sick, and I'm not giving up," she said, ignoring the fact his forearm was cutting into her neck. He slapped her, leaving a resounding sting on her cheeks. She put a hand up to her face, and he threw her from the wall to the ground.

"I own you. I control you. You can't stop me," he said, pinning her down on the floor. She screamed, and he wrapped a rag around her mouth. He lifted his arm up slightly and she used this as an opportunity, punching him square in the jaw and jumping up. She desperately fiddled with the door, but he grabbed her and threw her back against the wall, directly hitting her head and sinking down. He picked her up by the collar of her blazer, throwing her against the table, the corner of it hitting her eye. She yelped and ducked under the table. He grabbed her from under there, and she ran to the door again. She felt something cold and hard hit the back of her head, and she fell.

He had thrown his canteen at her. She got up, trying to get to her phone, but he threw the vase on the board room table straight at her, breaking directly on her head. She fumbled, trying to grasp her cell phone, feeling a trick of blood run down her face. He stepped on her phone, smashing it between his loafers. Picking her up and propping her back against the wall, he traced over her neck and stomach with his fingers.

"Don't forget who you're dealing with, Miss Dawson," he said, biting at the collar of her shirt. She tried to scream, but the rag just muffled the sound even worse, and she kneed him. He fell, and she was starting to get dizzy. She ran to the door, picking the lock as fast as she could, and running outside. The corridors were spinning, so she kept running, straight out the gates and into the streets. She heard him chase after her, yelling her name, but she kept running. The cars were coming fast, and she was dodging desperately trying to get to the sidewalk.

She made it to a small coffee shop, and upon entering the door, staggered to get on her feet. The young attendant walked over to her, and Ally thinks she was talking, but she couldn't hear her, just a distinct ringing. She fell to her knees, and the world went black.

* * *

**A/N: I really do hate myself for this chapter, but oh well. Also, just to say, if you favorite/follow this story, could you pleaseee take some time to review it? Just a request from moi. Thank you to all my faves and reviewers, though! **

**Much love,**

**~Rebel**


	11. Chapter 11

_Beep. Beep._

She was awake. She thinks, anyway. Her eyes weren't open, but she could hear the slight beep noise and a fragrance of vanilla. Ally wasn't sure where she was, or who she was with, but she knew she'd have to open her eyes to find out. Slowly, slowly she fluttered her eyelids open, to see a white ceiling and a slight pain in her head, ribs, and arm. She looked down to find an IV in her wrist, which was attached to an EKG. She squinted at the bright light, before it seemed to focus on her pupils, and she looked around. It was definitely a hospital, and the smell of vanilla was more of latex. She tried to sit up, then fell back down to the bed again. Moving? Not a great idea. She looked over to her left to find an Austin reading a magazine, not paying any attention. A vampire could've flew in the window and he wouldn't have noticed. She tried to tilt her head and it made a popping noise, and she moaned and decided she'd stay put. Fortunately, Austin heard her and looked up.

"Ally?! You're okay!" he said, hopping up from his chair to be at her bedside.

"Kind of…what happened?" she said, squinting her eyes again.

"I should be asking you that. I got a call at eight saying that you had stumbled into a coffee shop and fainted in the barista's hands. Apparently, you have a concussion, two cracked ribs, and I'd stay off your ankle for a while," he said, gently taking a seat on her bed.

"Why do my neck and back hurt so much?" she said, then remembered. He had thrown her against the wall. "Nevermind."

"Ally, what happened?"

She hadn't planned on telling him, really. It's just… one look into those eyes, and she spilled. Everything. He clenched his fists and groaned.

"If I ever see that guy again, I'm going to kick him in a place God meant for guys to be treated nicely at," he said, gritting his teeth together.

"I already took care of that," Ally said. "That's how I got away."

He gave her a soft smile and covered her hand with his. She patted the edge of the hospital bed, and he knew exactly what she was gesturing to. He gently climbed on the hospital bed, wrapping his left arm around her. She still felt an ounce of security just by being near him.

"Austin," she murmured, quietly.

"Hm?"

"Why do you keep doing this?" she asked, looking up at him. "I can handle this myself."

"I know you can. But I'm not going to let you," he said, breathing in her scent of cinnamon. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Why?" she asked, tightening her grip on his hand. He smiled.

"I have my reasons. I'll tell you later," he said, as she drifted into sleep on his chest.

* * *

After being released from the hospital, she walked into Clef, hand-in-hand with Austin. She gulped and tried to stay calm.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Austin asked, calm.

"What else can I do?" she asked, clinging onto him.

They knocked on Mr. Smith's door, and he answered with a mischievous smirk. "Well, if it isn't whore and her little boyfriend."

"Save it, Smith. I have visible camera evidence from the security tapes in the corridor to the ones in the coffee shop. We may not have gotten you on a rape charge, but we damn well can get you on an assault charge," Austin mouthed, stepping in front of Ally. "And swear on my life, if you hurt her again, I will not hesitate to hurt you."

"I'm really scared of a pre-puberty pop star," Smith said, rolling his eyes. "And as for you, Kitten," he said, pointing to Ally, "Meet Hugo."

A large, round-shaped bodyguard came out. He gripped Ally's arms together.

"What the hell, Smith?" Austin said, feeling his arms be pinned as well.

"As of now, Miss Dawson, you're under a 2 week suspension. Please take them out, Hugo."

She struggled, and when the reached the main centre, she screamed.

"You raped me! Greyson Smith raped me, and his stupid lawers will stop at _nothing_ to protect him! He preys on young girls who just want to have an actual career!"

Hugo tried to pull her, and she pushed him off. "Don't _touch_ me! Nobody at this office has permission to touch me, and definitely no one that works for _him_ can touch me!"

Several people gave Smith scornful looks, and Ally ran out of the office. Austin shot a glare at Smith and ran off, trying to find her.

She sat on the ground outside of the office, sobbing into her hands. She heard a distant patter of footsteps.

"Go away, Austin."

Instead, she heard a much softer, more feminine voice.

"Are you Miss Ally Dawson?" she asked, and Ally lifted her head up and nodded.

"Come with me," the girl said, leading her to the same coffee shop. Ally reluctantly followed.

"What's this about?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

"I know how you can get Mr. Smith convicted," she said, quietly.

"What?! How?"

"I've been in your shoes before…but I never actually got enough courage to go forward with it. Look," she said, handing Ally security tapes. Ally gave her a puzzled look.

"I work in the security area. These tapes have _everything_ that happened that night on them. Both rape, and assault. I would've come to you sooner, but I didn't know how," she said, sliding the tapes over. Ally's mouth grew in shock.

"I don't know what to say…thank you, I.."

"Don't say anything. Just make sure he doesn't get away," she said.

"I never caught your name, what was it?"

"Jennifer Drew," she said, before slipping out the door.

Ally paused. That name sounded familiar. Then, it hit her like a pound of bricks. That was the girl who filed the sexual assault charge on Smith three years ago.

"Ally! Are you okay?" Austin said, running into the coffee shop. She smiled, fiddling with the tapes in her hand.

"I am now."


	12. Chapter 12

She hated to admit it, but it felt amazing to see Smith get carried out of his office in handcuffs with police officers lined up at every door. She smiled. He scowled at her, giving her an angry grin. Austin waved, hand perched on Ally's hip. It was almost too good to be true. Jo clapped, walking over to Ally.

"You did it, Als," she said, watching the police put Smith in the car. Ally looked around.

"Actually, I didn't. Jennifer did," Ally said, smiling at Jennifer through the office window. She returned the smile and gave Ally a small "thumbs up". Austin grinned and put his hand on Ally's back. "You know, I never actually did show you my surprise," he said, hinting. She smiled and gave a playful eye roll.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Where do we go?" she asked, and a worried look crossed his face. "Meet me at Starr Records in 45 minutes!" he said, then dashed out the door.

She took a seat on the bench and pulled out her phone. Jo smirked and took a seat beside her. "Why didn't you tell me you liked Austin?"

Ally dropped her phone, then quickly picked it back up. "Whaaat? Me? Like Austin? Psh, what? Never!"

Jo gave her a look and folded her arms. "Really?"

"Okay, fine, maybe I do. It's not like he'd ever feel the same way," Ally said, putting her phone in her pocket.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Jo said, whistling. She got up and went to walk away, but turned around. "Oh, and by the way, if you ever need a friend, text me." Ally smiled and nodded. She cringed at the sight of Mr. Smith's office, even though it was empty. He may be going to jail, but the memories were still in her head. They wouldn't leave. They probably never would, either. Austin ran through the door, grabbing Ally's hand, breaking her thoughts. "I finished it early, c'mon!"

She stumbled, being dragged by Austin, before she landed on her feet. A blush crept up on her cheeks, but she kept running. He kept dragging her and she had to stop to catch her breath. Fortunately, they stopped right in front of Starr Records.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, bending over to collect herself. Austin smiled and winked at her. "You'll see," he said, guiding her into the back room. It was lit up with candles.

"Austin, I…"

He grabbed his guitar and took a seat on the bench. "I wrote you a song. And not to toot my own horn, but I think it's pretty good. It's entirely for you, so we're not recording it, okay?"

She nodded.

He strummed the guitar, keeping the beat with his feet.

_I bet you didn't notice_

_First time your heart was broken_

_You called me up and we talked til the morning_

_And the time that you were stranded_

_I was there before you landed_

_He was a no show, I made sure you got home_

She smiled and thought back to Dallas. She hadn't thought about him in a long, long time, and well, she could thank Austin for that.

_And I been right there_

_For every minute_

_This time, it's no different_

_But whatever happens you should know_

It was true. He was always there for her, whether she liked it or not. And with this, it wasn't any different.

_Cause you're not alone, girl_

_Look over your shoulder_

_You don't have to wonder_

_Cause you know, you know, you know_

_that You're not alone, girl_

_I'll be there to hold you_

_I'll stay till it's over_

_And you know, you know, you know_

_That you're not alone_

She felt tears well up in her eyes. She was never alone because she had Austin.

_All the days that you were stressed out_

_Feeling like pulling your hair out_

_They were all missing but I was here listening_

_You gotta believe in me_

_Even if you can't see me there_

_I'll catch you when you fall_

She thought back to when she stumbled in front of the headlights and he saved her. Any thoughts she had about Mr. Smith were far from her mind right now.

_Cause I been right there _

_For every minute_

_This time, it's no different_

_Whatever happens you should know_

_Cause you're not alone, girl_

_Look over your shoulder_

_You don't have to wonder_

_Cause you know, you know, you know_

_You're not alone, girl_

_I'll be there to hold you_

_I'll stay till it's over_

_And you know, you know, you know_

_That you're not alone_

She wiped a tear from her eye. She could hardly believe he wrote this, for her of all people.

_I'll be here for you no matter what comes around the corner_

_Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh_

_As long as I am free then You won't have to worry no more_

_Cause you're not alone, girl_

_Look over your shoulder_

_You don't have to wonder_

_Cause you know, you know_

_I love you_

_And you're not alone, girl_

_You're not alone_

She stopped dead in her tracks. Did he mean that? He stopped playing and set the guitar down. He stood up and put his hands on her shoulder.

"I meant that. Every word," he said, contemplation dripping from his voice. He was nervous.

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I love you, too."

He picked her up and swung her around, setting her back down. She smiled and looked at him with eyes hopeful.

"Are you going to stand there, or are you going to kiss her?" Trish said from behind the door, folding her arms. Ally chuckled nervously, and Austin cupped her face with his hands. He kissed her. And he felt it all. Everything he had been waiting for, the butterflies, the fireworks, the electricity. It was _exactly_ what he had hoped for, if not better. She wrapped her legs around his waist, arms around his neck, kissing him back. They broke apart, and the taste of Ally danced on Austin's lips. He licked his lips and grinned. "Hazelnut," he said.

He kissed her again, only with much more passion, and she tugged at the hair on the back of his neck. He kissed at her neck, and something shot through her. Like she was reliving that night. She pulled apart and grabbed her bag.

"I…I have to go," she said, running out the door.

He sighed, putting his face in his hands. He threw one of the candles across the room, leaving it to break against the wall.

She didn't know where she was going. She just walked outside, without a jacket, and in the pouring down rain. Good move, Dawson.

She really shouldn't had run out on Austin like that. It wasn't his fault. She had problems coping and she took them out on him. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"You're not stupid. I wish you wouldn't have run out, you could've just told me, but I understand. You are definitely not stupid, Ally Dawson," came a voice from behind her. Austin draped his jacket around her shoulders.

"I need to stop thinking out loud," she said, drawing closer to him.

He smiled. "You don't hate me, do you?"

"I could never hate Austin Moon," she said. He wrapped an arm around her petite waist.

"Good, because I couldn't handle that," he said, kissing her lightly on the forehead. She smiled and leaned into his chest. "I didn't know you would come for me."

"Of course I would. I'd never leave you alone," he said, pushing a lock of damp hair from behind her ear. He rested his chin on her head, sitting on the park bench, both ignoring the beating rain.

'_Cause you're not alone, girl. Look over your shoulder. I'll be there to hold you, I'll stay til it's over. 'Cause you know, you know, you know, you're not alone._

* * *

**A/N: This is the last chapter. (: I don't own the song.**

**Review~!**

**-Rebel**


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